Moment of Weakness
by Lieutenant Caine
Summary: Horatio seeks comfort from a source that's always been there. Rating will be kept to a T so that my readers won't abandon me, nor will they hunt me down and scalp me for the pairing in this story. See Author's Note inside please.
1. Chapter 1

**Moment of Weakness**

**A/N It will be much appreciated if the readers will not crucify me for this little story. Since the cancellation of the show, I've started back through the 10 years, beginning with season one. One thing that has jumped out at me in several episodes is the blatant attraction between Horatio and his sister-in-law, Yelina Salas. The mystery remains as to why the script writers never bore that out on the show. No, it wouldn't have been Calleigh, but it would have been infinitely better than the State's attorney, Rebecca Nevins. Athena begged to be allowed a story between Horatio and Yelina, and I was feeling generous when she asked. To my H and Cal loyal readers, they are my ship, not to worry, but as my favorite Star Trek character always said, "There are always (other) possibilities."**

Cal, my dearest sis… it didn't go quite like I had envisioned it, so please don't disown me.

And here we go….

Horatio walked slowly down the hospital corridor, his heart heavy and his thoughts chaotic at best. His long time team member and brother-in-law, Eric Delko lay gravely wounded in ICU, accidentally felled by a bullet from one of his own. To make matters worse, the bullet had come from the business end of none other than Calleigh Duquesne's weapon.

All things considered, the blonde had acted appropriately, firing at the escaping car as it emerged from the warehouse during the tense action between the CSI team and the members of the Russian Mob. No one would have dreamed that Eric was driving the vehicle. Neither would they have dreamed that one well-placed bullet from Calleigh's .45 would end up in Eric's head. But dreams have a way of becoming nightmares.

Now Eric lay motionless, tied to life by the myriad machines attached to his body. The sight of him broken and so vulnerable clamped an iron hand of worry around Horatio's heart, stealing his breath and sending icy slivers of fear slithering through his veins.

Horatio had lost so much during his life. His mother. His brother. His wife…two wives in fact, for although he had indeed been undercover in New York when he was "married" to Julia Eberly as John Walden, he had loved her and felt it keenly when time, life, and his career had torn them apart. Briefly too, he had lost his son, the only lasting remnant of that ill-fated union with Julia. And the losses just kept coming. His long time friend and ME had left the team when the ravages of life had sacked her own family. Horatio replaced Alexx with a new doctor, only to lose her after less than one day on the job when the team had its first encounter with fused alloy rounds. Hit after hit, blow after blow, and Horatio was the epitome of the walking wounded. Faced now with the terrifying possibility of losing one of the only family members he had left in Eric Delko, he was punch drunk and reeling, far from his usual stalwart self, defenseless and emotionally vulnerable.

Faltering steps carried Horatio through the parking facility of Miami General Hospital toward the Hummer parked against the outside retaining wall. When he arrived at the vehicle, the redhead wearily leaned his head against the side door. Tears slid unchecked down his cheeks, and sobs worked their way up from his chest. His entire body sagged with both physical and mental weariness, and the muffled sounds of his agony echoed softly through the steel and concrete structure. All but blinded with emotion, Horatio finally grasped the door handle and opened it, lifting himself up into the driver's seat and buckling his seatbelt mechanically before dropping his head back against the headrest momentarily. A trembling hand reached for the gearshift and sent the SUV backing out of the parking space, only narrowly missing the car parked behind him. Instinct took over then and he went through the motions of maneuvering out into the swirling Miami traffic while his mind spun on without conscious direction from him in a chaotic and dizzying tumble.

For what seemed like hours he drove, desperately controlling his tears to the point that he was not an immediate menace to himself or those on the road with him, but he was still mightily impaired in his mental control of both the tank-like Hummer and himself. When the tiresfinally rolled to a stop in front of a residence he knew well, the shock of finding himself at that particular home worked to partially clear the fog from his mind. How or why he had chosen to come here was beyond him. He only knew that on the other side of that door lay a willing source of comfort should he choose to take advantage of it. Common sense had long forbade him from seeking solace from that quarter, but he was long past the point of employing sense, common or otherwise. Before he could talk himself into a better decision, he opened the Hummer door, and slid out. His feet carried him to the front door and he took a deep breath before pressing the door bell. Tears still streaked his face and his chest still heaved with emotion, but he was beyond caring.

The door opened. Immediately brown eyes pooled with concern and soft hands reached to draw him inside. Horatio let himself be lead into the foyer like a little child, meek and unresisting.

"Horatio? My god what's wrong?" The voice was chocolate and caramel mixed with smooth whiskey.

The naked care and affection he heard in her tone was his complete undoing. Abandoning all pretense of self control, Horatio fell into her arms, weeping almost uncontrollably.

"Ye…Yelina, can I talk…can I to you?" He stammered brokenly.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Cliché thought it was, the phrase, "hindsight is twenty-twenty," had proven painfully true in the life of Yelina Salas. Much too late she realized in her younger years that she had married the wrong Caine brother. Raymond came along when she was yet ungrounded in her own life, seeking for the rush of adventure that his life promised. Oh there was adventure all right, one painful episode after another, culminating in the death of the man she had honestly tried to love with every fiber of her being, tried and almost succeeded. Through all the escapades, there was one constant that she could count on, one shoulder that was always there, one voice that never failed to stir her to thoughts far from platonic. Many times she had awakened from dreams so intensely sensual that her entire body was in full response to the fantasy of Horatio's touch. And now here he was in her arms, weeping as though his entire world had collapsed and none but she could soothe him.

Refusing to think about the possibility that she was taking advantage of Horatio's obvious misery, Yelina held him close, cradling him to her body and murmuring soft words into his ear. Finally free to act on the long denied impulse of many years, she tentatively ran one hand through his hair in a soothing motion. The silken feel of the stands beneath her palm sent shivers over her skin and she closed her eyes against the immediate rush of pleasure that engulfed her body.

"Horatio," she whispered softly, caressing his name with her voice. "It's alright. Shhhh."

Nestling Horatio closer into her embrace, Yelina turned them both toward the living area of the house and walked slowly toward the couch in front of the faux fireplace. She gracefully settled herself against the overstuffed cushions and drew him down with her. His body came to rest against hers, settling perfectly against her feminine curves, melting into her arms as though he had been born to lay there. Physical desire warred with a more maternal instinct, and Yelina had to force herself to concentrate past the incredible feel of Horatio's body against hers.

Yelina realized that she was in dangerous waters, and she forced herself to mentally step back and take a deep breath. The situation was fraught with possibilities. One misstep and she stood to lose Horatio's presence in her life in any capacity. But if things worked out like she had so often dreamed…

Tenderly she held him, listening to his heartrending sobs and rocking him gently.

"It's okay, Horatio. Just cry it all out. No one will know or see. Just let go," she whispered, not sure if she was encouraging him to let go and acknowledge his grief, or if she was begging him to relinquish that almighty control he so effortlessly exercised when it came to his response to her.

"Just..hold me," he cried, molding his body impossibly closer to hers.

"Always…_my love…_" the last was spoken so softly that it was hardly more than a thought given breath.

Almost instinctively, Yelina found herself pressing soft kisses against the soft coppery strands that brushed against her chin and cheek. When he nuzzled closer against the side of her neck and cheek, a soft groan tore itself loose from her throat. _God, Horatio, do you know what you're doing to me? _It was a losing battle she fought, and she knew it, yet for moments longer she resisted her clamoring senses until she could stand it no longer. Promising herself that she would do penance for years, she cupped the side of Horatio's face with her hand and raised his head from her shoulder. Another second and her lips were on his.

Neither dreams nor fantasies came remotely close to the reality of kissing the man she'd been in love with for years and Yelina was instantly addicted. Restraint evaporated in a flash and ignited a burning need low in her body. Her pulse thundered in her own ears as she realized she had lost all semblance of self control. The man of her dreams was kissing her back and her hunger for him knew no bounds. Eagerly she encouraged his hesitant responses, until she felt him begin to take control of the embrace, his hand drifting upward to curve behind her head and draw her closer to him. The press of Horatio's body took on a different tenor altogether and Yelina recognized it as response to arousal and not comfort.

Lost in a haze of desire out of control, Yelina gasped in protest when she felt him suddenly draw back. Blue eyes looked at her in shocked wonder, and Horatio's voice was strained.

"Yelina…what…we shouldn't…how…"

A sharp spike of desperate need drove the words from her lips.

"Please, Horatio…don't deny us this. I've need…WE have needed this for so long. Just let me help you…let me love you…Please, Horatio, please…"

She was begging, and didn't care in the least. Her pride was a small price to pay for the pleasure of being in his arms.

A different look settled in Horatio's eyes, one that sent shivers over Yelina's skin.

Silence stretched between them until Horatio spoke at last.

"Yelina, this is not at all why I came here, you know that. I came because I needed someone to talk to…" His voice trailed off for a moment and Yelina's heart plummeted.

"But since you brought it up…" Without warning, Horatio wrapped his arms firmly around Yelina and flipped them over so that she was lying prone beneath him on the couch. His thigh pressed firmly between her legs and he gazed down at her for long seconds.

Yelina barely had time to register the intent of his actions before he captured her lips again in a searing kiss. His lips opened over hers and his tongue speared deeply into her mouth, stroking and teasing until Yelina was beyond rational thought. At the point when she thought she would climax from his kiss alone, he pulled away again. His eyes were blazing and his breath came in ragged hitches.

"Since you brought this up…we do it my way," he growled seductively at her before launching into her yet again with another debilitating, passionate kiss.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Horatio greedily plundered the softness of Yelina's lips, kissing and nipping, drawing tiny little moans from her. Then suddenly, as though jerked backward by a leash, he pulled back from her and lifted himself away from the couch to stand looking down at her, his hands on hips, his lungs heaving for air, and his face a mask of tightly controlled passion.

"Get up." He commanded. His voice was rough and hard. "Get up, Yelina."

The brunette struggled to understand his sudden mood change and the harshness of his spoken demand. "Horatio?"

"Get up," he ordered again. This time he reached down a hand, clamped it around her wrist and forcibly drew her up from the couch. She landed against his chest with a jolt, her hands splayed to steady herself. Something flared in the depths of Horatio's eyes and Yelina gasped at what she saw there.

"This WILL happen, Yelina…" as he spoke, his hand tunneled beneath the soft curls at the back of her neck and grabbed a handful to tug her head back, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. They were black with barely controlled passion. "…But it will NOT happen here. Go pack a bag for the weekend."

Incredible arousal laced with a healthy amount of fear spiked through Yelina at the implications of his words. _Pack a bag for the weekend_. Her mind caught on the sharp edges of realization that Horatio was inviting, no demanding that she come home with him for the express purpose of carrying through on the promise of their earlier kisses. The situation had spun so far out of her control that she couldn't help but be both exhilarated and terrified at the possible results. Once more she tried to regain a shred of control over the situation she had created with that first simple kiss. "But Horatio…I don't understand…"

A shake accompanied the fierce words from Horatio's lips. "You don't understand? How can you not understand me, Yelina!? I want you, make no mistake. God knows I've wanted you for years. But it will be MY hands that caress you, MY kisses you beg for, MY name you scream as your body shatters with pleasure at MY touch." Here, a hard kiss interrupted his words and Yelina struggled for breath.

At last tearing his mouth from hers, Horatio glared down at her. "I refuse to make love to you under the same roof and in the same bed that you shared with my brother and Rick Stetler. I will not share you with ghosts from the past."

"Oh my god, Horatio…" Tiny panting gasps of air were all Yelina could drag into her lungs. The thunderous beat of her heart would have rivaled a jet engine's roar and the racing of her pulse almost made her dizzy.

The split second of indecision that flashed in her eyes almost cost Yelina the thing she wanted most. Horatio let his arms fall from around her, and stepped away from her completely, leaving her achingly cold after being surrounded by the fiery warmth of his body against hers.

"Make a choice Yelina," he ground out between tightly clenched teeth. "You started this fire. Now either face the heat, or douse the flames."

"I'll…I'll go pack." She stammered.

"Hurry."

TBC

**A/N I know this is unbearably short; probably it should have been part of the previous chapter. However, it is very dense with meaning and emotion. Please bear with me. We are going somewhere with this, I promise.**

**Lt. Caine**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Yelina's heart fluttered against her ribcage as she moved about the master suite gathering clothes and toiletries to place in her small Luis Vuiton overnight bag. A million thoughts careened through her mind, _I didn't plan for this, I can't go through with it, but I've needed it for so long. Why is it so hard to see clearly when I'm faced with the conscious decision to reach out and take what's in front of me? _

Motion became automatic, and Yelina lost track of time. Finally her robotic footsteps slowed and she simply stood there in the middle of the room, lost in deep thought. Memories swirled around her, taunting her with half-remembered images of herself and Raymond and to her shame, herself and Rick Stetler as well. _How could I have ever thought that Rick loved me? He was just using me to get to Horatio._

"Yelina?" Horatio's voice broke through the silence and jerked Yelina around to face him. With catlike tread he had entered her bedroom without a sound and slipped up behind her before she was even aware that he was anywhere near.

"Yes…" her breath caught and she had to force herself to speak clearly. "Yes, Horatio?"

"Having second thoughts?" Like twin blue lasers, his gaze pierced into her, sending her pulse skyrocketing and her heart racing faster than she would have thought humanly possible.

"It's just that…just that…" She struggled with an explanation, tried and failed utterly to frame the words to tell him exactly how she felt.

For a heartbeat Horatio's expression softened, giving him a less intimidating aura.

"I know. I feel the same way. We're standing on a cliff and there's no net below us. We have nowhere to fall but into each other's lives." He drug in a ragged breath before speaking again. "If we had only…"

Horatio's lips snapped shut on the rest of that sentence, and a shadow of unreadable emotion passed over his face.

"Finish packing, and come on when you're ready. I'm going on in the Hummer."

"We're not…we're not going together?" Confusion spoke clearly through Yelina's voice.

"No. We are not going together. The drive over will give you one last chance to make sure this is what you want. I want there to be no questions in your mind when you come to me. If you don't show up, I'll know that this was nothing more than a moment of weakness… for both of us."

Turning on his heel, Horatio walked out of the room and disappeared back down the hall. Faintly, Yelina heard the front door open and then close again. Silence roared into the spaced he had departed, deafening her to all but the thunder of her own pulse through her veins.

Weakly she sat down on the edge of the bed. "He's right you know," she said to the empty room. "You started this and now the choice is yours. He made it plain he wants you, but on his terms." Rising from the bed, she stepped to the dresser and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "This is what you've wanted for years," she addressed herself. "So why am I terrified?" The soft ticking of the clock on the nightstand was her only answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Standing alone on the balcony of his condo, Horatio swirled the amber liquid around in lazy circles, listening to the tinkle of ice against the side of the glass. Another five minutes passed by with agonizing silence and Horatio snarled with frustration. He raised the glass to his lips and gulped down the last of his drink then angrily hurled the glass out into the velvet darkness of the evening, not caring that it shattered into a million pieces on the sidewalk four stories below.

"What did you expect, old man? You pushed her too hard. You forced her into a decision between her comfort zone and your demands and lost all chance at…"

The ringing of the doorbell sliced through the self-deprecating tirade Horatio had unleashed on himself, prompting a curse from his lips.

"Damn it…that had better be you, Yelina Salas, or so help me I'll drive back over there and take you in the middle of the living room floor, ghosts be damned."

Quick, angry strides carried him to the front door, and he unlocked it, jerking it open without even stopping to check the identity of his visitor.

The sight of Yelina standing on his doorstep ripped the breath from Horatio's lungs. Time stood still until the basic need to breathe re-asserted itself, then everything became a blur.

"Thank god, you came…" he muttered hoarsely.

They were the last coherent words spoken by either of them for hours after that.

Yelina's bag hit the floor with a soft thud and Horatio jerked her into his arms, his mouth crashing down onto hers.

TBC

**A/N You do understand that it is a mighty struggle to keep this to a T rating. It could be very, very M rated between these two with their history of deferred/denied passion over the years. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Like gasoline on an open fire, Horatio's kiss ignited a firestorm of passion that engulfed both him and Yelina, incinerating the last remaining restraint either of them possessed.

Horatio scorched desperate, frenzied kisses lips across Yelina's face, her lips, her neck, down along the open collar of her silk blouse. His hands laid out frantic caresses over her body, seeking the softness of her skin hidden beneath the expensive material of her clothes. Frustrated beyond patience with the flimsy barrier hindering his exploration of her upper body, he finally grasped the neck of her blouse with both hands and simply tore it away from her. Yelina's sharp gasp of response spurred him on.

Yelina's hands were just as restless, stoking over Horatio's shoulders and down his back, over the trim fitness of his hips. They settled then at the front of his shirt, and her eager fingers began to hastily pull at the buttons. Success rewarded her efforts with the first three tiny white discs but the fourth one was not to be persuaded as easily as its shirtmates. Mirroring Horatio's impatience, she tugged at his shirt front, popping the rest of the buttons free. A low moan of need escaped her lips as her hands finally found the heated, naked skin she sought.

At the feel of her soft hands on his skin, Horatio growled with arousal and forcibly backed Yelina against the wall, grabbed both her wrists and roughly pinned them above her head. He pressed the lower half of his body against her fiercely, all the while feasting on the delicate mocha colored skin he had revealed. His lips and teeth traced random patterns over her neck and shoulders, across the strap of her lacy bra and downward over her collar bones and lower. When he nudged aside the barely there garment and took her into his mouth, Yelina gasped with pleasure.

Moans and cries of pleasure issued from two throats and two pairs of lips made incoherent declarations of love and need. At last, a single shred of sanity intruded into Horatio's passion-clouded senses. They couldn't comfortably carry this to its inevitable conclusion there in the entryway of his condo, regardless of how much they both needed release. He let go of Yelina's hands and swung her up into his arms, carrying her from the front door and down the hall toward his bedroom.

The king-sized bed beckoned silently as he entered the room, and Horatio quickly set Yelina on her feet, kissing her deeply as he did so. When he let her up for air, he looked down into her face with an expression of pure desire.

"Yelina…you are…"

Whatever else he was about to say lodged deep in his throat. Yelina's hands settled at his belt and began working the leather from the metal buckle and sliding it from the belt loops.

"Are we going to talk…" her hand slid inside the now open zipper of his slacks and cradled him, "…or make love?"

"Oh, god…"

In a flurry of motion then, Horatio removed the rest of Yelina's clothing, and without further prelude, he toppled her backward onto the bed.

What followed was a frenzy of kisses and caresses, moans and cries of pleasure and delight as two souls denied love and tenderness for too long finally found release. Over and over again, Horatio took Yelina to the pinnacle of pleasure, until neither of them had the strength to attempt the climb again, and they fell asleep wrapped around each other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Morning came and Horatio stirred, shifting against the pressure on his chest. For a moment he was startled and then memory flooded his mind. A smile inched over his face and he relaxed, content to simply hold the beauty asleep in his arms. She had been something of a revelation during their lovemaking. At times she had allowed him to completely dominate her, and then had surprised him by taking control and commanding his body into realms of pleasure he had only ever dreamed he would have with any woman, much less her.

At length, the gentle morning light streaming through the open window teased Yelina's eyes open and she looked up into the face of the man she'd loved for years.

" Mmmm. Good morning," she said almost shyly. Sleep slurred her voice and she looked almost angelic.

"Indeed it is a good morning." Horatio smiled at her and kissed her softly.

For a moment he sobered then and looked deeply into the brown eyes gazing at him with adoration. "Any regrets, Yelina?"

Her answer came in the form of a wordless caress. She lifted her hand and traced the contours of his face, finally stroking her fingertips delicately across his lips. Her kiss was gentle.

"No regrets, Horatio. No looking back. We have nothing to look back to, you know that."

Satisfied that the encounter had been more than a one time thing, Horatio gathered her closer into his arms and rolled them over so that he was once again lying on top of her.

"No regrets, Yelina."

FIN

Happy birthday to the actor who gave us ten years of the best show on TV. Thank you David for sharing Lieutenant Caine with us. We will be forever grateful

Lt. Caine


End file.
